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Benchmark.Pulse

Survey for parents and carers

Phone policy: before and after

Run six weeks before a phone restriction starts and again one term after, to compare support, practical problems, enforcement and what families notice about sleep, mood and friendships. About 5 minutes to complete.

What respondents read first

This survey asks what you think of the school's phone policy (the rules on mobile phones during the school day) and how it works for your family. We may ask again later to see what has changed. It takes about 5 minutes. It is anonymous: the school cannot see who answered, and results are only shown for groups of 5 or more. If you have more than one child at the school, please answer about your eldest child there. If you write something that makes us worried about a child's safety, the school's safeguarding lead will see that comment so they can help.
Fig. 1  The opening screen, word for word.

How anonymity works in this survey

  • The school cannot see who answered. Nothing is reported until 10 people have answered.
  • A group, such as one role or one year group, is shown only when 5 or more people in it have answered. Smaller groups are hidden.
  • An answer chosen by fewer than 5 people is hidden, along with enough others that it cannot be worked out by subtraction.
  • Written comments appear only once 10 people have answered.

See the anonymity rules working

The questions

Numbered in the order respondents see them.

Arrange the questions

Respondents choose

Which year is your child in?

  • Reception (offered in primary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 1 (offered in primary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 2 (offered in primary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 3 (offered in primary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 4 (offered in primary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 5 (offered in primary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 6 (offered in primary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 7 (offered in secondary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 8 (offered in secondary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 9 (offered in secondary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 10 (offered in secondary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 11 (offered in secondary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 12 (offered in secondary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)
  • Year 13 (offered in secondary, all-through, special and alternative provision schools)

This places each answer in a group for the report. It is the only question about the person answering.

Phone policy6

  1. Question 1.

    I support the school's phone policy.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  2. Question 2.

    I understand the reasons for the school's phone policy.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  3. Question 4.

    I know what happens if my child breaks the phone rules.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  4. Question 5.

    The consequences for breaking the phone rules are fair.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  5. Question 15.

    Since the phone policy started, how has your child seemed overall?

    Choose one

    • Better
    • No real change
    • Worse
    • Too early to tell
    • The policy has not started yet
  6. Question 16.

    What one thing would make the phone policy work better for your family?

    Write your own answer

Phone rules in practice3

  1. Question 3.

    The school's rules about mobile phones are clear.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  2. Question 6.

    Staff make sure the school's mobile phone rules are followed.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  3. Question 10.

    Does your child have their own phone that can go online?

    Choose one

    • Yes
    • No

Practical effects3

  1. Question 7.

    If I need to reach my child urgently during the school day, I know how to do it through the school.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  2. Question 8.

    I am comfortable with how the phone policy works for my child's journey to and from school.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  3. Question 9.

    Which of these, if any, are a worry for your family with the phone policy? Choose all that apply.

    Choose any that apply

    • None of these
    • Being able to contact my child during the day
    • My child's journey to and from school
    • Arranging plans after school
    • A health need, for example a medical app
    • The phone being lost or damaged
    • Cost, for example of a pouch or locker
    • Something else

Sleep, mood and friendships4

  1. Question 11.

    On a usual school day, how long does your child spend on their phone outside school hours?

    Choose one

    • My child does not have a phone
    • Less than 1 hour
    • 1 to 2 hours
    • 2 to 4 hours
    • More than 4 hours
    • I don't know
  2. Question 12.

    My child usually gets enough sleep on school nights.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  3. Question 13.

    My child is usually in a good mood after school.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  4. Question 14.

    My child spends time with friends face to face, not only online.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

Free to run. The full report is £149.

Running it is free and gives you the headline result, with strengths and priorities. The full report adds every chart, comments grouped into themes and briefing slides.

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Related surveys

  • Phones and online life

    For pupils in Years 7 to 13: whether the phone rules are understood and followed, social time, late-night phone use and sleep, group chat pressure, and whether pupils know how to block, report and tell someone. Use it six weeks after a phone policy starts or before reviewing one.

  • Parent and carer survey

    The annual survey for all parents and carers: communication, behaviour and safety, learning, wellbeing, belonging and leadership, with a clear headline measure.

  • Parent questionnaire with national comparison

    Asks parents the same ten questions as Ofsted Parent View, word for word, so each result sits beside the national figure and the figure for schools of your phase that Ofsted publishes.

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